SF plane crash: 'Normal' delay levels returning

Updated 9:12 am, Monday, July 8, 2013

Stranded passengers sleep on benches at San Francisco International Airport, where flight delays and cancellations continue.

Stranded passengers sleep on benches at San Francisco International Airport, where flight delays and cancellations continue.

Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

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A traveler speaks to an airline ticket agent at SFO, where many people had to adjust flight plans after the Flight 214 crash.

A traveler speaks to an airline ticket agent at SFO, where many people had to adjust flight plans after the Flight 214 crash.

Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

SF plane crash: 'Normal' delay levels returning

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Travelers flying in and out of San Francisco International Airport can expect a return to "normal" delays early this week, even as one runway remains closed after Saturday's fatal airplane crash, airport officials said.

Crash investigators couldn't say when the runway where the crash occurred would reopen. On Sunday, three of the airport's four runways were open to traffic, but numerous flights still were being canceled, delayed or rerouted after Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crashed Saturday, killing two teenagers and injuring dozens of other passengers.

"We will be experiencing delays, but it's more normal levels of delays" with three of the runways now open, said airport Director John Martin.

"They need to give us clearance that they've conducted the necessary work before items can be removed," said SFO spokesman Doug Yakel. "We're going to defer to their process of investigation before we reopen that final runway."

SFO officials are asking travelers to check with their airline for updated arrival and departure information. Many flights have been diverted to other Bay Area airports, and on Sunday in the International Terminal, there were long lines at the departure counters, and a screen displaying arrivals showed only a few on-time flights.

Martin said that as of Sunday afternoon, shortly after the airport's third runway reopened, SFO was handling "32 to 33 landings per hour," which is "equivalent to our normal weather conditions."

Both United Airlines and Southwest Airlines, two of the biggest carriers out of SFO, experienced heavy delays Sunday before the third runway reopened. Over the next few days, Southwest will try to reduce traffic in and out of the airport until it's fully operational, said a spokesman, Brad Hawkins.

"We're working to thin the number of aircraft to a manageable level - when we have to cancel a flight, we're rebooking customers either on another close (in time) flight, or offering to get them to (San Jose or Oakland)," Hawkins said in an e-mail.

Many airlines were offering free ticket changes to any passengers scheduled to fly in or out of SFO on Sunday and in some cases Monday.